Ms. April’s Potted Plants
During quarantine, Natalie illustrated a story I, Pamela, wrote for learners of all ages. I had been thinking for a long time about the ways in which we can show children how to appreciate their own unique qualities by noticing and appreciating the beautiful and unique qualities of plants and flowers. I wrote a story
Easy and Delicious Kumquat Jam
We have a really happy Nagami Kumquat Tree that lives in a big pot on our patio. It provides beautiful tiny fruit every year in early summer. Bill recently harvested the abundant fruit. Kumquats are considered a super-fruit, filled with anti-oxidants. I thought I’d try making jam for the first time ever. I found the
Gardens and Benches Invite Community
Our front garden has been our creative and emotional oasis this past year, both for us and our neighbors. Our Free Little Library receives many visitors, who both borrow and donate books. Our rotating art gallery delights pedestrians, delivery people, and drivers who catch a glimpse and stop to look. The bucket of chalk has
The Familiarity of Home
Like many this past year, I spent a great deal of time at home. But for aneighborhood walk or the occasional trip to the grocery store, post office or pharmacy, my world did not extend much beyond the mailbox at the end of the driveway. My world had become small. Nay, I say, my world
I have just read a transcendent book…
When I read, I sometimes use a recent notecard a friend or family member has given me as my bookmark. While reading Lauren Belfer’s transcendent novel And After the Fire, I did just that. It makes me feel like I am reading with someone whose company I enjoy. As I neared the end of this
Thinking Outside the Box
In my last year of teaching, I set aside the standard curriculum at the start of every week and introduced what I called “Outside-the-Box Thinking.” Monday mornings began with a game or a challenge. I would have my students first work individually, and then after a certain period of time, collaboratively. One such challenge was
A Bespoke Shroud for My Mother
I have begun a new project inspired by my mother’s passing last year. Her name was Rosemary. While the time spent at her bedside was deeply meaningful with the whole family present, the time afterwards was a little unsettling. Several hours passed and the funeral director arrived and proceeded to wrap her in a very
René Magritte in a Miniature Art Gallery
This past week, we saw a bicyclist come to a sudden stop when he noticed our miniature art gallery. He spent time looking at the art, the miniature people visiting the art gallery, and reading the description. A Fed Ex deliveryman did the same. A woman walking home with a bag of groceries stopped to
